(This poem is written by participants in my Collaborative Creativity workshop at the St. Davids Christian Writers’ Conference, June 2023)
IN THE GARDEN
I am the air, carrying the sweet scent of a flower and the musical melody of a bird to a mournful heart; bringing moisture to lift dry soil back to life; replenishing the lungs of a tired body; and rejuvenating the spirit of a weary soul.
I am the mulberry tree, looking so simple – green with 1000s of differently identical leaves, but now showing no evidence of my flowers and fruit, that will come in their season.
I am the rich, dark soil; broken, raked, overturned; teeming with complexity and filled with nutrients to nurture growth.
I am a wildflower, deeply rooted, yet aimless; persistent, thriving despite being untended; faithfully showing up, not to lead but to perhaps encourage; a supporting actor in the summer bouquet.
I am a rock, steady and solid, small and fragile, immovable but easily tossed, porous but impenetrable.
I am the succulent that thrives by bending my leaves and resting them in the soil.
I am suspended by the flow of liquid that ripples around me and through me. I am in a serene space inches below the surface of chaos and I am at peace. I am a golden splash of sunlight called fish.
I am a leaf that used to be a bud, but I’ve unfolded, steeping in sunshine, soaking up rain, preparing to become crimson in my last flash of glory before I turn brown, fall off, and crunch under your feet…never to leave your memory.
I am the soil, gathering the spent blossoms of last year, the castings of worms and what seems worthless. I hold them and over time transform them into something precious to nourish the roots of today’s new growth. I waste nothing.
I am the weatherworn pine, with branches no longer in service, hidden behind fragrance and foliage with far greater appeal. And yet I offer shelter and new growth and proof of life in the seeds offered to a world hungry for new beginnings.
I am the air, carrying senses in and through the lives of those who live.
I am the ground, sealing off for the frost and softening for the growth.
I am the wood, using moisture to build strength.
I am the storm, causing chaos to bring change.
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THE POEM & POETS
This poem was the result of a writing prompt I gave participants in a workshop I led on Collaborative Creativity at the 2023 St. David’s Christian Writers’ Conference, held at Allegheny College. The prompt was to go outside into the gardens or stay inside in the living atrium and connect with nature in some way. Then write a statement beginning with “I am….”, suggesting they use nature as a metaphor for some part of themself.
I collected the responses, compiled them, and read the poem at the ending night banquet.
THE ARTWORK
A photo I took of the gardens at the garden at the Environmental Studies building on the campus at Allegheny College, where the conference took place.
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This Exquisite Collaboration Project is based on the Exquisite Corpse, a technique created by Surrealists in the early 1900s, in which participants add to a work with no one seeing what the other participants contributed. My goal is to encourage non-writers and artists to embrace their creative selves in a safe, supportive, “you can’t fail” environment. What began as a way to maintain some sort of connection with other people during the early days of the Covid lockdown has continued to unite strangers from around the world in creative collaboration.
Click here to read the series of Exquisite Poems and to find the links to the current prompt so you can join in the fun.
To learn more about my workshops and upcoming events, or if you’d like to learn how I can support you on your own creative journey with one-on-one coaching, visit my website.
Notes From The Funny Farm 